Weekend news digest

At the end of another week of depressing stories of store closures, bankruptcies and sales declines, it's time to tune in to the serious news stories in Marin-land.

First off, the Marin IJ took an excursion to northern San Rafael this week and came back with two stories about Northgate. The first article was about the renovations to Northgate Mall, where the big news is that the mall is.... still being renovated. There are a couple of photos of the (still empty) new food court, but not much to get excited about.

Second article reports on approval of the redesign of Northgate One, home of the World's nastiest Safeway. No word on whether Safeway will remodel their store, but they at least show some nice before and after shots of the center's refurb:

Meanwhile, the Twin Cities Times gets enthusiastic (and who wouldn't be) about the replacement of the Town Center Corte Madera's Maccas with The Counter. From the website:

Step into The Counter® and you’re greeted with a clipboard and an extensive list of fresh mouth-watering ingredients that allow you to build your own gourmet burger. Our 312,120+ different burger combinations make every burger as unique as each customer. Rarely is the same burger made twice in one day.

Anti-Established in 2003, The Counter® is the 21st century’s bold answer to the classic burger joint. Ushering in a fresh era of industrial decor, today’s music, cold beer, unique wines, cocktails, and burger options that are only limited by your imagination.

Read the build-a-burger menu and try not to drool.